Vent plug



July 27, 1937. l J. 1 wooDBRlDGE 2,088,543

VENT PLUG Filed Nv. 24, 1935 Patented July 27, 1937 VENT PLUG Joseph Lester Woodbridge, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to The Electric Storage Battery Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 24], 1933, Serial No. 699,500

` 3 Claims.

The subject of my invention is a, novel vent plug for storage batteries. 'I'his novel vent plug includes a valve member seat, a valve member containing a fluid and having exible walls of which one confronts said valve seat, and a weight mounted for rocking movement so that, upon tilting of the storage battery, the Weight the cylindrical wall I9, winch rests on a ledge 23 on the inner wall of the depending cylinder acts upon the fluid and moves the flexible wall.

confronting the ,valve seat so as to close the valve against the valve member seat.

For a further exposition of my invention, ref' erence may be had to the annexed drawing and specification at the end whereof the novel features will be specically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section through my device; and

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section through a modification of my device. Q

In Figure 1, the numeral I represents a portion of the cover of a storage battery in which is provided a cylindrical vent opening 2 passing through a boss 3 on the upper side of the cover and another boss 4 on the lower side of the cover.

screw-,threads 5, with lwhich corresponding ex- I4. When the cell is in its upright position, the weighted member I6 and the diaphragms 20 and 2| will assume the positions shown by the full lines in the drawing. The orifice I3 will therefore be open at the bottom, permitting any liqu id, which may have collected in the chamber 1, to drain back into the cell, fiowing over the top of the diaphragm 20 and down through the slots 24 in the vcylindrical wall I4.

When the cell is tilted 4'from its vertical position through a suicient angle, the weighted member I6 will assume the position shown by lthe dotted lines 25 and the head II will rise,

. Pushing the lower diaphragm '2| upward into ternal yscrew-threads of the Vent plug 6 engage.

The vent plug 6 has an internal chamber 1,

closed by a cap 8, having a depending vent duct 9 communicating with the chamber 'I through openings I 0, and providing a space II between thewalls of the vent duct 9 and the walls of the vent plug 6, to retain any liquid which may escape from the cell when the latter is in an inverted position. The vent plug 6 is provided ternally projecting ledge I5 at its lower end upon which the weighted member I6 is supported by e means of the umbrella-shaped top portion IT.

the position shown by the dotted lines 26, and, byreason of the incompressibility of the liquid in the drum, the Iupper diaphragm 20 will be raised to the position shown by the dotted lines 21, thus closing the orifice I3 and preventing the escape of liquid from the cell. When thc cell is restored to its normal vertical position,'the parts willv assume the positions shown by full lines in the drawing, thus opening the orifice I3 and permitting the escape of any gases which may be developed in the cell such as those proq duced during the charging period.

In Figure 2, I have shown a modification in -which the drum-like valve member is in the form of an inverted. bag or sack I8, made of flexible material such as soft rubber and filled with a liquid such as mercury. The bag or sack I8 has a depending orifice or neck 30 which is forced over the head 3| of the member 32 which may sealed so as to be liquid-tight in any suitable This top portion has an approximately spher` ically-shaped upper surface.

Within the depending cylinder I4, and above the weighted member I6 and below the orifice I3, is shown a valve member in the form' of a hollow drum, having cylindrical walls I9, an upper head or diaphragm 2li of soft rubber, and

a lower head or diaphragm 2| of soft rubber. This drum is liquid-tight and is lled with a suitable liquid, preferably a heavy liquid such' as mercury. This drum is supported by means of a collar 22provided on the outer surface of manner as by the use of cement. 'I'he member 32 has a downwardly projecting support 33 whose point 34 rests in the apex of a conical cavity in the just below the plane of the supporting ledge I5.

This upward motion of the point 34 will cause the lower head of the valve member I8 to be raised, producing a corresponding rise in .the upper head. 20a, which will then assume the position shown by the dotted lines 21a, closing the for lling the valve member, a compressble fiuid such as air may be used, requiring a somewhat greater displacement of the weighted member I6 to produce the same effect.v Y

One ofthe important advantages of the con struction disclosed lies in the fact that, when pressure is applied to the iiuid in the hollow valve member, it is distributed over vthe entire surface of the iiexible wall which confronts the valve seat, causing this flexible wall to t into any irregularities in the surface of the valve seat, and thus eiectively prevent any leakage of liquid when the cell is inverted.` Any uid, such Yasair or water or mercury, or even a semi-fluid or viscous material such as glycerine or light grease, would be eiective for this purpose.

I do not intend to be limited in the practice of my invention save as the scope of the prior art and of the attached claims may require.

I claim: n

1. In combination in a non-spill venting device for a vessel adapted to contain liquid, a valve seat surrounding a vent opening, a hollow valve member ll'ed with non-compressible liquid and having pliable walls of which one confronts but is normally out of contact with the v'alve seat, and means adapted when the vessel is tilted from its normal position to displace another of said walls to cause the liquid within to force the firstmentioned wall against the valve seat, thereby to close the duct.

2. Inr combination in a non-spill venting device for a vessel adapted to contain liquid, -a vent duct terminating below in a valve seat, a hollow valve member filled with non-compressible liquid and having pliable walls whereof one confronts but is normally out of contact with the valve seat, an annular inwardly projecting ledge below the valve member, and a weighted member supported on the ledge and adapted, when the vessel is tilted, to be displaced, thereby displacing another of the pliable walls of the valve member to cause the liquid within to force the iirst-mentioned pliable wall against the valve seat, thereby to close the duct.

3. In combination in a non-spill venting device fora vessel adapted to contain liquid, a valve seat surrounding a vent opening, a hollow valve member lled with incompressible liquid and having a pliable wall confronting but normally out of contact with the valve seat, and means adapted when the vessel is tilted from its normal positionv externally to cause the liquid within said valve member to force the pliable wall against the valve seat, thereby to close the vent opening.

JOSEPH LESTER WODBRIDGE. 

